


Just Breathe

by shutupheather



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, First Kiss, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, M/M, Near Death Experiences, POV Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), mudslide fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:41:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27621530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shutupheather/pseuds/shutupheather
Summary: "Tears threatened to spill from the younger man’s eyes. 'Eddie… I’m scared,' he choked out.'Me too Buck,' he replied honestly. Because he was."ORBuck and Eddie get trapped in a mudslide together.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 318





	Just Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!! Thank you so much for reading! As always, comments and kudos are appreciated ❤️
> 
> (This is not my prediction for season 4, just something I wrote lol)
> 
> Big thank you to the anon on tumblr who sent in this prompt ❤️❤️:
> 
> "that new teaser got me wanting more so may I request a prompt? where both buck and eddie are stuck in the mudslide and they’re almost dying and a near-death love confession happens? Lot of angst but happy ending please?"

~Eddie POV~

Eddie always hated the rain. The rain meant cloudy skies. It meant cold temperatures. It meant everything was always just a little wet. There was hardly ever any rain in El Paso, Texas, for which Eddie was always grateful.

Eddie was a man who thrived on sunshine. He lived for the feeling of warm rays seeping into his skin. It made him happy. Not to mention the adorable freckles that adorned his son’s face when there was an abundance of sun. This is why he thought moving to Los Angeles, California would be a terrific idea. It was never cold and cloudy in La La Land… right?

_ Wrong _ .

_ So, so, wrong _ . 

Eddie woke up this morning to it raining cats and dogs. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. Southern California was currently suffering from a drought, but from the looks of it, that could change by the end of the day.  _ That’s _ how much it was raining. 

_ Great _ , Eddie thought. He didn’t like what this weather meant for not only his mood, but for the day ahead for him at work. Typically, the first rainfall after a long dry spell lead to slicker roads, which lead to more frequent car accidents, which lead to Eddie having a very,  _ very _ busy day. He let out a dramatic sigh as he began his morning routine, a little less pep in his step.

-

Buck always loved the rain. He thought the rain meant that great earthy smell. He thought the rain meant rainbows and double rainbows. What it really meant though was Buck got to splash in the huge puddles leading up to the station. How this man was so happy, glowing even, in such gloomy weather, baffled Eddie. In fact, it baffled him so much, he didn’t even mind the excess water that splashed him lightly every time Buck’s boots made contact with the waterlogged floor. 

As the day dragged on, the rain never ceasing for a second, Buck just looked better and better. Eddie took note of every little detail. Like the way Buck’s uniform would get soaked only a minute into a call. The way the wet material clung to his body in all the right places. How it outlined and moved with every flex of muscle. His pants hugged his legs and showcased the definition in his thighs. He even noticed the way Buck’s hair, dripping with water, began to curl on the ends. He wondered how it might feel if he were to ever run his fingers through it. These thoughts were the only things getting Eddie through the shift.

-

It was late into the afternoon when they got the call. Bobby had called the team into the common area to debrief them on the situation, concerning the ongoing rainfall.

“Alright,” Bobby projected, clapping his hands to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Dispatch has notified us that, as a result of this bizarre storm, it looks like there are going to be several mudslides in the surrounding hill areas of Los Angeles. They have asked the 118 to go to some neighborhoods up there, and make sure evacuations have taken or are taking place.”

The team nodded along to everything their captain was saying. 

“Now, this could be a potentially dangerous situation and I know some of you have shifts that end in about an hour. That being said… if you feel the need to sit out on this call, I understand. Just know I would greatly appreciate it if you would join us. If you’re going, we leave in thirty.” He said, dismissing the team.

Eddie shot Buck a look that said,  _ If you’re going then I’m going _ . Buck responded with a look of his own that read,  _ Of course we’re going. _ That was another thing Eddie loved about Buck, the way they could wordlessly communicate. 

So off they went. They packed all their gear and readied themselves for the journey ahead. Eddie called his abuela, explaining the situation and asking if Chris could spend the night with her. She shushed him, letting him know he never had to ask and that she was praying he had a safe night on the job. If she mentioned that she would also say a prayer for Buck, Eddie didn’t dwell on it. 

-

The neighborhood they were assigned was definitely one of wealth. The houses were multi-storied, each with one more than one garage and expansive yards. The houses were so big, themselves and the streets they were on were pretty spaced out. There were several of said streets, so Bobby broke the team into pairs, assigning them each an area to check. 

Buck and Eddie, obviously paired together, jogged off towards their given lane. The houses, though large, seemed quiet and still. They were most likely already clear, but the men split up to check homes on either side of the road. 

They ran through their respective residences with speed and efficiency. After a bit of time, they reunited at the end of the cul-de-sac. They shared a matching look of  _ I didn’t find anyone. You?  _ and then exchanged easy smiles of a job well done. They were about to turn back when they heard it. 

Their radios crackled to life, Bobby urging his crew to take cover in whatever house they were in, just as they looked up to find a flow of mud surging right towards them. 

Buck’s head snapped towards Eddie, fear contaminating his baby blue eyes, “Run!” 

He followed Buck’s lead, running left, the direction of the nearest home. They were running so fast, he felt as though they burned holes into the asphalt. The house was getting closer in view, but so was the mud. 

They were so close. 

The rumble grew louder as it overtook them. Eddie felt himself go under. He knew this sensation all too well. Just last year, he had been fully submerged in water-saturated soil. He knew what it felt like to be buried alive. His limbs felt heavy, maybe he would just stay here for a few seconds more. 

A muffled voice pulled Eddie out of his daze.  _ Buck,  _ he thought. Unlike last time, Eddie wasn’t alone in the swirling sludge. He needed to fight. He needed to find his partner, to make sure he was okay. Eddie managed to shift his arms slowly. The mud wrapping around their every move, trying to tug him further into the dirt. He could feel the matter seep into his clothes, clogging his pores. But he soldiered on. 

After what felt like centuries of swimming in no particular direction, Eddie broke the surface. The gasp of air he took burned his lungs. That burn let him know he was alive, he was still in this. 

His head was the only thing able to rise above the already hardening clay. He looked around wildly for the only thing that really mattered to him in that moment. Luckily, he was only about a foot away. His head just barely poking out the top of the mud.

“ _ Eddie! _ ” Buck shouted hoarsely.

The relief of seeing that his best friend still living, quickly dissipated into one of terror. How were they going to get out of here? Would they survive? He barely survived the last time he was trapped in the earth, who said he could do it  _ twice _ ? What if he couldn’t make it home to Chris? His body was  _ cold _ and  _ wet _ . He was unable to move. He was  _ trapped _ .  _ Again. _ The pace of his heart began to quicken. His breath shortened. 

The same voice that broke through to pull him out of the layers of mud, caught his attention once more. His panic still prevalent as he turned to look at the man stuck next to him.

“Hey. Hey, just look at me. You’re going to be fine. Mirror my breathing, okay?  _ Just breathe _ ” Buck said, just the sound of his voice already calming Eddie.

Together they breathed for a few minutes, alleviating each other’s stress of their current situation. They were alive. They had air to breathe. They had a team that would come looking for them sooner or later. Eddie repeated these points over and over again in his head in an effort to ground himself. 

-

They’ve been slowly sinking into the mud for going on an hour. They tried shouting out for help at the start, but their cries were drowned out by the ever persistent rainfall. Fortunately, the mudflow had eased up, no longer rushing past. Now, they were trapped in a dangerous waiting game. 

Eddie began to feel his body go numb. The cold was creeping into his skin and infiltrating his bones. It hurt to even try to twitch his toes. As he looked over, he could tell Buck was grappling with a similar sensation. However, there was an unfamiliar expression of trepidation spreading across his face. The panic Eddie felt initially was finally setting in for him. 

Tears threatened to spill from the younger man’s eyes. “Eddie… I’m scared,” he choked out. 

“Me too Buck,” he replied honestly. Because he was. He was scared of being stuck here for eternity. He was scared of losing Buck, the man he wanted to love for the rest of time. He was scared of seeing Buck in this state of fear and unrest without being able to comfort him with a physical touch he knew Buck needed. 

Tears were now running down Buck’s pale cheeks, past his trembling lips. What Eddie would give to just be able to reach out and kiss those tears off of his face. To take Buck’s pain as his own. Words were never Eddie’s forte, but he needed to fill this silence. To let Buck know he wasn’t alone. 

“I hate it when you cry…” Eddie let out softly. 

Buck slowly turned his head towards Eddie, meeting his gaze for the first time in a while. Only sniffles breaking the quiet.

“When you cry… it breaks my heart. I need you to know that you’re okay. I’m okay.  _ We’re okay _ . Remember what you told me earlier…  _ just breathe. _ ” Eddie congealed.

“What if I die out here…” Buck whispered, more to himself, squeezing his eyes shut with dismay.

“You can’t think like that, not right now. … I don’t think I’d know how to live if you died, so… just don’t… please?” Eddie said, tears brimming in his own eyes now. 

“W-why’d you say that.”

“Because it’s true,” Eddie cried out. “Because I don’t think I could get over the love of my life dying in front of me. I went through that with Shannon and I can’t… I can’t do it again.”

Buck stared at him with wild eyes, “Did you just…”

“Yeah… I love you Evan Buckley, and I’m not afraid to say it anymore.”

A small smile entertained the corners of Buck’s mouth. Eddie loved that smile. He loved it even more knowing his proclamation of love is what caused it. 

“I love you too,” Buck sighed with a soft laugh. “I love you so much Edmundo Diaz.”

“When we get out of here, I’m kissing you… and that’s a promise.”

“I’m holding you to that Diaz,” Buck replied, his smile even brighter than before. 

The rain finally stopped.

-

The cold, mixed with pain and exhaustion, won. A few moments after their confessions, the cocktail of misery overpowered the two firefighters, causing them to lose consciousness. Whether or not they were fully pulled into the abyss of debris and sludge, Eddie didn’t know. He didn’t even know how long he was out for. Everything felt slow and dark, almost like nothing at all. He couldn’t see or hear anything. Maybe this was it. Maybe his job finally caught up to him. Maybe death came knocking for the last time and Eddie answered the door. All he knew was that he was grateful for being honest with Buck. He could die knowing he was in love with someone who loved him back. 

-

Beeping. Too much beeping. Too loud.  _ Someone turn that off _ , Eddie thought.  _ What is that sound? _

He slowly pried his eyes open, they felt like they were crusted with a layer of grime, which they probably were. He was met with the stale lighting of a hospital room, the pinched feeling of an IV in his arm, and multiple blankets piled on top of him.

“Welcome back, Diaz,” a voice said. It was his captain, Bobby. He could hear him explaining his condition, but he wasn’t really listening. There were bigger things on his mind. 

Eddie lived. But… 

“Where is he… is he okay… is Buck oka-” his mumbling was cut-off.

“Over here,” came that same voice that initially drew him out of the mud. “Hey,” Buck said as Eddie rolled his head to the side, his eyes meeting bright blue ones no longer clouded by fear. 

Of course the team got them a shared room. The two men exchanged another set of looks. Ones that said  _ You’re okay  _ and  _ We’re okay. _

“Hey guys…” Buck turned to address their crew. “Do you think you could push our beds closer real quick? Eddie promised me something.”

The team wore matching confused faces, yet obliged with the request. After shifting the beds flush against each other, they took a step back. They remained in the room though, too intrigued by this mysterious  _ promise  _ not to.

“Buck…  _ now _ ?” Edde asked, his gaze silently gesturing towards the audience they had.

“Um, yeah,” he said matter-of-factly. “Sorry for not wanting to risk one of us having another near-death experience before we get the chance to have our first kiss.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide at that, just as the eyes of the rest of their team. 

“You know what… fair point. I did promise after all,” Eddie said, shuffling himself to the edge of the bed. 

He reached a hand up to cup Buck’s cheek. It was still cold, but there was a blush covering it now that eased Eddie’s mind. They both offered a shy smile before leaning in. Their lips melted against each other perfectly, like two puzzle pieces connecting. Eddie poured everything he had into the kiss. He was trying to refrain from deepening it because their boss was watching, but he couldn’t help himself from feeling every single spark shared between them. For the first time that day, Eddie felt warm. He felt happy. 

They could hear the team awkwardly shuffle out of the room. Bobby telling them to give the boys their space. He ushered them out as Hen and Chim began squabbling with each other, something about a bet. 

Eddie and Buck didn’t bother to look up. They were completely enthralled with each other in this moment. Their breath becoming one of shared supply. The calming factor that they had over each other came out in full force. They fell into a rhythm of small kisses, soft smiles, and subtle touches. 

  
Eddie considered something for a moment. Maybe he only  _ strongly disliked _ the rain. The rain gave him chills, murkiness, and because of today, more trauma he’d have to work through with a therapist. But it also gave him something else. The rain gave him love. The rain gave him Buck. 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on tumblr!
> 
> @118hasmyback


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